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A new study has found that omega-3 does not significantly lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
There has been a long-standing belief that omega-3 lowers the risk of heart disease. It began when a study conducted in the 1970s linked the low instance of cardiovascular diseases in a fishing community to a diet rich in omega-3. Since then, studies have had varying findings on whether or not omega-3 can really prevent heart disease.
Despite the lack of firm evidence on omega-3 benefits, many dietary guidelines recommend oily fish or omega-3 supplements for better heart health. In fact, around 10% of Americans consume omega-3 supplements.
In the most recent study, researchers looked into the effect of increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids on the risk of heart disease among 112,059 participants. The research considered naturally occurring omega-3 in fish and plants, as well as omega-3 found in supplements. The analysis spanned 10 years.
The researchers found that taking omega-3 in the form of fish oil and supplements had no significant effect on heart health. They also observed meager improvement in cardiovascular health from consuming omega-3 from plants and nuts.
A nutrition expert named Dr. Ian Johnson commented on the study, saying that the benefits associated with omega-3 may have been caused by other unknown environmental factors.
Professor of cardiovascular medicine Tim Chico also explained that cherry-picking an aspect of a diet and turning it into a supplement—like omega-3—cannot guarantee the same health benefits from the actual diet. Chico added that people should just improve their diet instead of buying supplements, as the latter can be expensive.